6/14/7

Dr. Tim Davis, APENS Chair
SUNY Cortland
Department of Physical Education, Park Center
PO Box 2000
Cortland, NY 13045

Dr. Davis:

The following is my proposal for seeking National Consortium for Physical Education and Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPERID) endorsement for an Adapted Physical Education National Standards (APENS) online study course. My distance education course, PEP 558 Adapted Physical Education National Standards Professional Preparation, will be offered biannually (summer and fall semesters) through New Mexico State University.

Outlined below are my minimum eligibility requirements followed by my responses to the criteria delineated by the NCPERID.

I have also attached for your review my faculty vita, CAPE certification documentation, New Mexico State University course authorization form, and my university approved syllabus.

Minimum eligibility requirements for Scott J. Pedersen:

• NCPERID membership – lifetime member
• Current CAPE certification – valid thru 2011
• Affiliation with a regionally accredited university – New Mexico State University tenure track assistant professor

Criteria for NCPERID endorsement:

Criteria #1: The instructor is a current member of NCPERID.

Response: I currently am a lifetime member of the NCPERID as of July 2006. I am also a current NCPERID At-Large Board member through 2008.

Criteria #2: The instructor possesses current CAPE certification.

Response: I have been a national certified adapted physical educator (CAPE) since 2003 (documentation is attached).

Criteria #3: The instructor has demonstrated qualifications to teach the APENS study course.

Response: I submit my qualifications to teach this course in my attached curriculum vita. I have a Ph.D. in Human Performance with a major in adapted physical education from Indiana University. At New Mexico State University I regularly teach a variety of APE courses in our professional physical education preparation and kinesiology programs. In addition, since arriving at New Mexico State University I have created graduate minor in APE/APA for education majors interested in learning how to teach physical activity to children with disabilities. These courses include:

PEP 558, Adapted Physical Education National Standards (APENS) Professional Preparation
PEP 557, Adapted Physical Education: A Practitioner’s Approach
PEP 556/456, Adapted Physical Activity
PEP 555/455, Adapted Physical Education

It should be noted that I conduct research in the area of adapted physical education and motor control, as well as do professional consulting for teachers and parents of children with disabilities. The specifics of these lines of inquiry are outlined in my curriculum vita (attached).

Criteria #4: The instructor of record must be officially affiliated with the university through an appointment such as: full-time tenure track faculty, full- or part-time adjunct/ad-hoc, or other officially recognized status.

Response: I am full-time, tenure-track, assistant professor in the College of Education at New Mexico State University.

Criteria #5: The course outline/syllabus must indicate how each of the 15 standards will be addressed and the weight (time/emphasis) that will be given to each standard.

Response: The course syllabus (attached) specifies how each of the 15 standards are addressed.

Criteria #6: The instructor and students must have access to and use the most up-to-date APENS Standards Manual and APENS Study Guide as part of the course.

Response: In this course, students purchase and review the Adapted Physical Education National Standards manual (2nd ed.) published by Human Kinetics. The current APENS study guide is incorporated as self-quizzes with in the learning module format of the course.

Criteria #7: Verification of university regional accreditation.

Response: New Mexico State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The College of Education is accredited by the New Mexico Public Education Department. The university’s teacher preparation program was accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Criteria #8: Documentation that the course has been reviewed and approved by participating university.

Response: Course approval at New Mexico State University goes through a four-step process. First the course was approved by the Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance curriculum committee, next it was approved by the College of Education curriculum committee, then it was approved by the College Administrative Council, finally it was approved by the New Mexico State University curriculum committee. A copy of the New Mexico State University Course Authorization Form with signatures is attached to this proposal. The guidelines and criteria for credit bearing classes at New Mexico State University are fifteen contact hours with the university instructor per credit hour. However, the organization of credit bearing graduate courses delivered through distance education is somewhat different than a traditional lecture based course. Prior to enrollment, it is made clear to all potential students that PEP 558 does not replace the APENS eligibility criteria of having a three credit introductory course in APE. PEP 558 meets the criterion for a graduate level credit bearing course through synchronous and asynchronous course assignments (all of which are outline in the attached course syllabus). In brief students are required to participate in one synchronous responsibility each week ~ the APENS Student Chatroom. A highlight of this chatroom is that students have the opportunity to chat with APE professionals from across the country. Essentially this gives students contact hours with a multitude of APE professionals on a weekly basis, not just one professor. On average, there are four APE chatroom guests in each chatroom. Among them include APENS Chairman, Tim Davis; NCPERID President, Garth Tymeson and many other leaders and practitioners in the field. As for the other six asynchronous assignments that students must complete each week, the professor of PEP 558 is constantly reviewing the responses through email and discussion board postings accumulating more than the required 15 hours of weekly contact.

Criteria #9: Description of how the course will be offered (e.g., full semester, 8 week seminar) and advertised.

Response: This three credit hour, graduate level course is offered twice a year: the fall session (which begins in the middle of August) is a ten-week semester and the summer session (which begins around Memorial Day) is a five-week semester.

This course is advertised primarily on the New Mexico State University Adapted Physical Education (NMSUAPE) webpage (http://education.nmsu.edu/nmsuape/pep558.html). Links are available for this webpage through the APENS webpage (http://cortland.edu/apens/), the NCPERID webpage (http://www.ncperid/org), PE Central’s webpage (http://www.pecentral.org/adapted/adaptedcourses.html) and PE Links4U’s webpage (http://www.pelinks4u.org/archives/adapted/040107.htm).

Criteria #10: Content must be delivered in a format that meets ADA approved technology requirements.

Response: All of the computer software (WebCT, Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader, Java) used in PEP 558 is ADA approved technology.